This invention relates to a shutter speed indicator device for photographic cameras wherein light emitting diodes are employed to indicate the shutter speed in a view finder. In cameras with conventional automatic exposure control systems, the time of exposure has heretofore been indicated by means of a photometer provided with an indicating pointer. However, the indication of the time of exposure by means of such a conventional photometer is disadvantageous because of its low mechanical strength and slow response speed. Also such photometers are not very easy to read. In order to eliminate the inconvenience and disadvantages of the above-mentioned conventional photometer, devices have been proposed which can indicate the shutter speed clearly by rendering the numerals representative of the time of exposure provided in a finder clearly visible by means of light emitting elements.
FIG. 1 shows a shutter speed indicator device employing light emitting diodes, and FIG. 2 is a connection diagram of conventional light emitting diodes. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a finder, and reference numeral 2 denotes numerals representative of the time of exposure. A plurality of light emitting diodes L.sub.1, L.sub.2 . . . L.sub.16 are located corresponding to the exposure numerals.
In FIG. 2, the reference characters L.sub.1, L.sub.2 . . . L.sub.16 denote light emitting diodes. The anodes of the light emitting diodes are connected in common to terminal A. The cathode terminals of the light emitting diodes L.sub.1, L.sub.2 . . . L.sub.16 are denoted by reference characters B, C . . . Q, respectively. If a positive voltage is applied to the anode terminal A and a negative voltage is applied to the cathode terminal G, then the light emitting diode L.sub.6 is lighted to indicate a shutter speed of 1/60 second. However, the arrangement as shown in FIG. 2 is disadvantageous in that a great many light emitting diode terminals are required. Thus, the number of pins in the circuit to drive the light emitting diodes is high thereby increasing the cost and reducing the reliability thereof.